Dale Earnhardt climbs from beneath his overturned car after flipping at Pocono Raceway in 1982. Earnhardt used to joke that he didn't have much formal eduation, but graduated from the school of hard knocks. Hardened by life in a small, N.C. mill village, Earnhardt was tough enough to withstand almost anything racing threw at him. He once won the pole on the Watkins Glen road course with a broken sternum. He suffered burns on his neck and chest in a crash at Talladega, but was right back in the car the following week. Earnhardt endured numerous broken bones and injuries throughout his illustrious career before finally losing his life in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500.
(Rusty Kennedy/AP)

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Junior Johnson

Junior Johnson learned toughness the hard way — from outrunning the cops while hauling moonshine and spending more than a year in federal prison. Johnson, who became a folk hero for his colorful antics on and off the track, was as rough and tough as anyone on the racetrack. Johnson came from the era when drivers simply strapped themselves into the car with a piece of rope. And he used his bumper often to win 50 races at NASCAR's highest level. He later demonstrated his courage off the track as well, inventing all sorts of creative ways to get his latest mechanical tricks by NASCAR inspectors. Johnson was inducted into the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. (ISC Archives/NASCAR Media)

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Bobby Allison

Bobby Allison works on his engine prior to the 1977 Southern 500 at Darlington. A legendary short-track racer, Allison became one of NASCAR's greatest drivers by taking on — and leaning on — all comers. Allison had infamous feuds with Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. And he often came out on the winning end, scoring 84 Cup victories. Perhaps his most famous moment came in the 1979 Daytona 500, when he duked it out with Cale Yarborough in the infield grass after Yarborough wrecked Allison's brother. (Lou Krasky/AP)

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Cale Yarborough

Legend has it that Yarborough was so tough that he was once bitten by a rattlesnake, and the snake died. A native of tiny Timmonsville, S.C., Yarborough was a farmboy and all-star football player before he took up racing. He was just as tough on the racetrack, tangling with the likes of Petty, Pearson and Allison during NASCAR's glory years. Yarborough wasn't a rough driver unless he had to be, but he didn't back down from anyone, participating in ugly feuds with the Allisons and Darrell Waltrip among others. (ISC Archives/NASCAR Media)

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Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Waltrip wasn't known as a fighter, but he could run his mouth with the best of them. Waltrip stirred up trouble early and often in his career, using his sharp tongue and outspoken personality to spark feuds with drivers like Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Dale Earnhardt. Waltrip was so good at getting under other driver's skin that Yarborough once dubbed him "Jaws." One of NASCAR's greatest short-track racers, Waltrip also could use his bumper when he had to. Waltrip now puts his mouth to good use as one of NASCAR's leading TV analyst on Fox and Speed. (Lennox McLendon/AP)

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Geoff Bodine

It's takes moxie for a modified racer from Chemung, N.Y. to venture south and pick on the toughest hombre in stock-car racing. But that's exactly what Bodine did when he moved to NASCAR and quickly started a feud with Dale Earnhardt. Bodine would not only use his bumper to win a race, but he backed down from no one — not even Earnhardt. Late in his career, Bodine also survived one of the most spectacular and horrifying crashes in racing during a Truck Series race at Daytona.
(NASCAR Media)

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Harry Gant

Publicly, "Handsome" Harry Gant was known as one of the gentlemen of NASCAR. Quiet and soft-spoken, he was a fan favorite and well-respected. But everyone in the garage also knew not to mess with Gant. When he wasn't racing, he was either working on his farm or building houses. His workingman mentality carried over to the track, making Gant a man not to be trifled with. (AP Photo)

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Ricky Rudd

Ricky Rudd is tended to by medical personnel while being interviewed in victory lane at Martinsville. Rudd won the 500-mile race that day despite suffering from heat exhaustion and burns over much of his body from scalding hot water. Rudd also ran the Daytona 500 one year with his eyelids taped open after being seriously injured in a crash the previous week. Rudd withstood numerous injuries to make a record 789 consecutive starts, which included 16 straight seasons with at least one victory. Rudd also was an old-school racer who backed down from no one, tangling with Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick and other drivers throughout his career. (Steve Helber/AP)

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Jimmy Spencer

Jimmy Spencer is helped by a rescue worker after a crash at New Hampshire in 2000. "Mr. Excitement could stir up trouble with the best of them, threatening drivers with his bumper, his mouth or his fist. When he drove the Winston No Bull car, Spencer once quipped: "If you mess with the bull, you get the horns." That, of course, was after putting yet another driver in the wall. One of NASCAR's most aggressive drivers, Spencer would trade paint with anyone and was a tough customer everyone knew not to mess with. Everyone but Kurt Busch, that is. Busch started a feud with Spencer in 2002 when he knocked him out of his way to win at Bristol. Spencer returned the favor later that year at Indy and then bloodied Busch's nose during a fight in the garage in 2003. Spencer has remained one of NASCAR's most colorful and outspoken personalities, offering his edgy opinions on various NASCAR TV shows.
(Toby Talbot/AP)

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Rusty Wallace

How many drivers are brave enough to thump Dale Earnhardt in the head with a water bottle? Wallace did just that after being wrecked by Earnhardt — yet again — at Bristol in 1995. Wallace was never known as a rough driver or dirty racer, but he backed down from no one, engaging in long rivalries with Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and other top stars. The brash Wallace talked a big game, but he could usually back it up on the track. (Bob Leverone/Sporting News)

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Tony Stewart

The brash and bossy Tony Stewart has been stirring up controversy since the day he walked into a NASCAR garage. From his first temper tantrum as a rookie in 1999 to his recent spats with the media and other drivers, Stewart has always raced with a chip on his shoulder and cut a wide path through the sport. While his run-ins with the media and NASCAR have gotten him into plenty of trouble, Stewart also has established many of the ground rules in the garage and on the track. He doesn't race rough or start feuds with other drivers, but he will retaliate in a minute and is not afraid of confrontation. He also will issue stern warnings about things like blocking, and then dole out the consequence if they aren't heeded. (Harold Hinson for Sporting News)

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Kurt Busch

Busch proved early on that he will use his bumper to win a race, knocking Jimmy Spencer out of the way for his first career victory in 2002. His aggressive style has gotten him into plenty of trouble on the track, but it's his temper and mouth that have been the biggest problems. Busch's short fuse and sharp tongue have gotten him into trouble with everyone from team owners to media members to NASCAR officials. Though respected on the track, Busch has spent much of his career on probation or in someone's doghouse. He currently is still recovering from a series of outbursts two years ago that cost him a top ride with Penske Racing. (Paul Sancya/AP)

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Carl Edwards

Publicly, Edwards is widely regarded as one of the nicest guys and most personable drivers in the sport. But he's also widely known as a driver you don't want to make mad. Just ask Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and others. Edwards once grabbed Harvick in a choke hold and lifted him off the ground during a confrontation in the garage. He intentionally wrecked Keselowski so hard that he sent Keselowski's car flipping and flying through the air. And he once threatened Kenseth, his own teammate, with a feigned punch. Edwards might be a racecar driver, but he's also a workout warrior who is built like an NFL linebacker. And most in the garage know not to mess with him. (Mike McCarn/AP)

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Kyle Busch

They don't call Kyle Busch "Rowdy" for nothing. Busch is known as one of NASCAR's most aggressive drivers and, like his older brother, he's stirred up his share of trouble over the years. Busch has been involved in well documented feuds with Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and pretty much all of Richard Childress Racing. He even wrecked his own brother once in the all-star race. Though Busch has calmed a bit in recent years, he has firmly established that he will do whatever it takes — or wreck whoever he has to — to win a race.
(Wade Payne/AP)

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Kevin Harvick

Though he has mellowed a bit in recent years, Harvick was once known has NASCAR's ultimate hothead. He was suspended for a race in just his second Cup season for intentionally wrecking another driver. He also has feuded with half the garage over the years, either confronting drivers after on-track incidents or jumping into the middle of someone else's feud. Harvick has firmly established that he will not put up with being roughed up on the track, and the consequences often aren't pretty. It's understandable, however. He had a reputation to uphold as the driver who replaced Dale Earnhardt. (Paul Sancya/AP)

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Ryan Newman

The stocky Newman also is known as a driver you don't mess with on or off the track. One of the most aggressive drivers in the sport, he's tough to pass and has had his share of run-ins with other drivers. And he usually gains the upper hand in such confrontations — he reportedly slugged a driver once during a meeting in the NASCAR hauler. Newman is such a tough customer that Kyle Busch recently joked that he's like "a big ogre" that everyone is afraid of. (Russ Hamilton Jr/AP)

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Jeremy Mayfield

Why is Mayfield on this list? He's done two things most drivers can't boast about. He once wrecked Dale Earnhardt to win a race (at Pocono) and he took NASCAR to court, fighting a drug suspension with a lengthy legal battle that cost both side millions of dollars. Mayfield proved on the track and in the courtroom that he won't back down, no matter how big the opponent. (Bob Leverone/Sporting News)

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Clint Bowyer

Clint Bowyer is one of NASCAR's friendliest and most personable drivers and he doesn't go around wrecking people or starting fights. But he showed last year that he has an angry side and he won't be pushed around or run over. His angry dash through the garage in pursuit of Jeff Gordon last year was one of the highlights of the season. Bowyer is a self-proclaimed "redneck" and old-school racer who knows how to mix it up — on and off the track. (Tim Sharp/AP)

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Brad Keselowski

The bold and brash Keselowski swaggered into the sport talking a big game and doing everything he could to back it up. As aggressive as they come on the track, Keselowski sparked early feuds with Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. He's grown up a lot in the last few years and is a bit more restrained as the reigning Sprint Cup champion, though he still likes to tweak NASCAR from time to time with his pointed opinions. (Bob Brodbeck/AP)

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Juan Pablo Montoya

Though his NASCAR career may be coming to a close, Montoya made his mark as one of the sport's most aggressive drivers. His aggressive style has led to confrontations with some of the sport's top drivers, including Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman. Though he has won few Cup races (only two), his flair and style won't soon be forgotten. (Wade Payne/AP)